Rotary Casino Night!

Although I am now a member of the New Tampa Noon Rotary Club, the Wesley Chapel (Noon) Rotary Club that I previously belonged to (and which now meets Wednesdays at noon at Lexington Oaks Golf Club) contacted me (on deadline, of course. lol) to try to help the club promote its upcoming Casino Night fund raiser, which will be held on Friday, August 25, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., at Wesley Chapel Nissan (8519 S.R. 54).

The event is for such an amazing cause, I couldn’t let it go by without a mention here. All proceeds from the Casino Night will be donated to benefit the family of 16-month-old Clayton Mahler, who has been diagnosed with an unidentified Stage 3 pediatric cancer. Clayton’s father, Rob Mahler, is a former Hudson High football coach and eleven local high school teams (including Wiregrass Ranch High) will participate in a preseason jamboree on Thursday, August 12, at Springstead High, with all proceeds also benefiting the Mahler family.

If you enjoy a little gambling for great prizes, a $20 donation gets you $20 in chips and there will be free food, a cash bar, and a silent auction and of course, the spirit of Rotary.

For more information about the Rotary Casino Night, visit WCRotary.com or visit one of the club’s Wednesday meetings. For more about the “Preseason Clash for Clayton,” visit SpringsteadAthletics.com.

Porter Donates $2,000 For WC Rotary’s Honduras Trip

JD Porter (far right) donated $2,000 to the WC Rotary Club for its upcoming trip to Honduras.

The Wesley Chapel Rotary Club is planning its sixth trip to Honduras, and received a boost in that effort from local businessman J.D. Porter, who donated $2,000 to the Rotary at their March 29 luncheon at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club.

The club has raised roughly $25,000 for the upcoming trip. A group of Rotarians will spend a week in a country that is not only one of the poorest and neediest in South America, but also the most dangerous, as one Rotarian pointed out at the March 29 luncheon (to nervous laughter, perhaps). Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world, with more than 90 homicides per 100,000 people.

Members of the club have taken the trip for five years in conjunction with Pure Water for the World (PWW), a 501 (c)(3) non profit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of families in poor countries through sustainable water solutions, sanitation and hygiene education.

Porter made the donation in the name of the Wiregrass Ranch Foundation, his family’s not-for-profit corporation, which was  founded in 2012.

He said the foundation is about, “the community, as we continue to see it grow. We started this, and we take no salaries, we just get out and raise money so we can have it available for local needs in the community. We’ve had a great time with it. And, we’ve raised a bunch of money.”

The Honduras trip turned out to be something near and dear to Porter’s heart.

He said his grandfather, after selling the first piece of Wiregrass Ranch property (which is now Saddlebrook), “one of the first things he did was he bought a boat.’’ Porter said he spent the next 2-3 years fishing in Central and South America,  in places like Nicaragua and Venezuela. But, his favorite place was Honduras.

While recently cleaning out some of his family’s old stuff, Porter says he discovered papers that listed items that his grandfather had continued to send shipments of to Honduras, items like toothbrushes, band-aids, gum, candy, “random stuff that a lot of us take for granted.”

“That’s why this clicked with me…not only is it special to give back to such a great group here, it’s almost like continuing a legacy,’’ Porter said. “That’s kind of special. So, I feel honored to present a check for $2,000 so you guys can get out there and do something awesome for people, making a difference in someone’s life who truly deserves it.”

For more info about Porter’s foundation, visit WiregrassRanchFoundation.org. For the WC Rotary, visit WCRotary.org.

Reflections From The Wesley Chapel Rotary’s Annual Trip To Honduras

Honduras sign 2By Gary Nager

I’ve been a member of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel — which meets Wednesdays at noon at Ciao! Italian Bistro in the Shops at Wiregrass mall — for about a year now. And, as you can tell from all the publicity this eclectic group of now more than 90 members (and still growing) has gotten in these pages, I’m pretty impressed with all that the club has been able to accomplish.Continue reading